Tag: the force awakens

Blue Milk

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Last weekend one of my gaming buddies hosted a Star Wars party. It was a lot of fun hanging out with fellow Star Wars geeks as we watched The Force Awakens Blu-ray (and the extras), talked about various fan theories regarding the next film, and celebrated our shared love of the franchise.

Of course, no Star Wars party is complete without Luke’s beverage of choice (full disclosure: I’m not much of a milk drinker anymore, so I didn’t partake).

In-Flight Movie

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I visited Japan for the first time last week. On the way to/from the country, one of the in-flight movies was Star Wars: The Force Awakens!

Considering the fact that the flights averaged out to 10 hours each, I’m somewhat disappointed I only watched it three times.

New Year, Old Ship

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Happy New Year!

I usually catch part of the Rose Parade on TV every year. I like to see what some of the local business and civic organizations come up with. This year, two things stood out: the Lakers’ first-ever float and Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary float, which was exactly how you’d picture it. It was big, over-the-top, and the tail end of it was Star-Wars-themed.

I bet that part of the float could make the Kessel run in 12 parsecs.

Time to Talk

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It’s been almost two weeks since The Force Awakens premiered, so I’m lifting my self-imposed ban on posting.

Here’s your one-and-only SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen the movie yet. Lando’s ‘Stache is now open for all things Episode VII.

I’ve seen it twice so far, once in 3D on the 17th and once in 2D a few days later. I was surprised at how critical I was the first time I watched it, but I still thought it was better than any of the prequels. The second time I saw it was with my nephew (also his second time) and I enjoyed it for what it was: a modern reboot of our childhood.

As I wrote in October, I was hoping J.J. Abrams wouldn’t re-hash too much of the originals, but that’s exactly what he did. From the moment Poe Dameron gives BB-8 the map to the Starkiller being blown up, it’s Star Wars all over again, which probably explains my bit of disappointment after my first viewing.

Still, J.J. did his job. He made a Star Wars movie. Sure, it was basically Episode IV re-mixed, but I’ve ranked it right up there with the original trilogy. I’ll always consider Empire the best followed by the original Star Wars, but I think a case can be made for Return of the Jedi or The Force Awakens as the third-best movie. I’ll even listen to those who believe Revenge of the Sith should be ranked there.

My main problem with Episode VII was that I LOVED the new characters so much and we didn’t get nearly enough of them. Finn and Rey were outstanding and something tells me that Poe will be even better as the series goes on.

I’ll write more in the days to come. I have mixed feelings about The Force Awakens, but let me be clear: it’s a fun Star Wars movie that I enjoyed and even with its faults, the franchise is in good hands. Star Wars mania is back in the mainstream and that’s good thing. It sure beats living in a world where the bitter taste of the prequels was our last memory of Star Wars.

I’m already counting down the days until Rogue One!